Toss will be crucial in Hobart Test: Alam

Hobart, Jan 11(ANI): Pakistan coach Intikhab Alam believes that the toss will play a crucial role in the outcome of their third and final Test against Australia, starting on Thursday.

Alam said that he expects the Bellerive Oval pitch to start cracking up on the third day of the match.

"The pitch right now has some grass on it. But, I expect that it would be rolled down over the next few days. We can expect to see the wicket cracking up on the third day and by the fourth day it would be difficult to bat on," The News quoted Alam, as saying.

Alam also said that the team which wins the toss will bat first as the batsmen will struggle to cope with the pitch in the fourth innings of the match.

"He (Australian skipper Ricky Ponting) has been opting to bat without no matter what the conditions are which means we can expect him to bat first here too if he wins the toss," Intikhab said.

"For us there is no choice, but to bat first here if we win the toss. What we will need to do is to bat out the first two hours and then go for a good total. This wicket is going to be a difficult one on the fourth and fifth day, which means that chasing any total won't be easy. It will have ample turn and an uneven bounce," he added. (ANI)